The Celestial Key
by Lanilen
Summary: War. War never changes. More than a century ago, the world burned in a war between Magic and Technology, a war that left scars so deep they may never heal. In what used to be the Kingdom of Fiore, a Guild of Mages survives in the mountains, in the small village known as Arroyo. Life in Arroyo is about to change, in a way that may very well reshape the face of the world forever.


**Author's Preface: **The idea of this crossover came about while I was working on my current Fanfic-in-progress (_current_ at the time of writing), "The King's Key", a Bleach/Fallout crossover.

The premise of that fic is a bit different from this. It is a "[bleep] hit the fan during the canon plot, and it turned into the Fallout universe" fic, where I tried to take the regular plot of the original work, and merely have a divergence at a critical moment - a "branching Alternative Universe", so to speak.

That fic is based on (mostly) the original Fallout. I created a new character to undertake the Lone Wanderer's journey out of Vault 13: leave the Vault, and go meet everyone who survived. As I approached the end of the fic, I started thinking of what to do next, and of course the idea of having a sequel following one of the other Fallout games came to mind. I have a fair idea on how to go about it using Fallout 3, but I couldn't, for the life of me, fit Fallout 2's plot with the premise I was using for that crossover. Fallout 2 follows a few generations after Fallout, and the Lone Wanderer's descendant leaves the village to find the G.E.C.K. It really didn't fit with my premise (the outside world killing people and a few turning into spirits, not much in terms of descendants and of course long afterlife-lives).

Then, I don't know how, my brain somehow came up with the idea of a Fairy Tail/Fallout 2 crossover instead. It may have had something to do with Vault 13, and the 12 Zodiac keys (maybe I'm not so good at maths after all). And of course that I really like Fairy Tail. I thought "why not", and my brain immediately gave me a dozen reasons why it was a bad idea for me to try this. Unfortunately, the good, sound advice of my common sense was drowned by the rest of the voices in my head, who were already yelling plot ideas and suggesting how to go about it.

If by now you aren't thinking that there's something wrong with my upstairs wiring, I don't know what else to say.

So, anyway, there you have it. A fully Alternative Universe, where I take only existing characters (no OCs this time), mangle their backstories _a bit_ to fit a great war that made a mess of the world, and have Fairy Tail go and try to save the world by looking for the G.E.C.K. Fallout 2 style.

Incidentally, this is here more as a preview - to see if anyone is interested or if I'll be run out of the stage pelted by a rain of rotten eggs and squishy vegetables. I _will _get back to it once I: a) Finish The King's Key. b) Win NaNoWriMo this November. You can take that to the bank, this won't just sit here unfinished. Unless that running-off-the-stage happens that is. Huh, I guess you can't really take it to the bank after all.

* * *

Arroyo. A small village tucked away in the mountains of the former Kingdom of Fiore. Like most other settlements through the wasteland, it is merely a collection of dilapidated houses, flimsy tents, and shanties, held together more by strong wills and good intentions than structural engineering. This otherwise unremarkable place had but one saving grace; it was the place where the former number one Guild had their base: Fairy Tail.

* * *

"Lucyyyyyyyy-saaaaaaaaaaan!"

Inside one of the tents, a blonde girl reacted to the call by struggling to come out of her sleeping stupor. "Ughhhh, it's too early..."

"Lucy-san, are you there?" The flap covering the tent's entrance parted, and a petite girl with blue hair and long, dark blue hair poked her head in. She had a pair of wood-carved hairclips holding up two pigtails, and wore a simple flax-woven dress.

"Hmmmno, I'm not here," Lucy replied, hiding under the brahmin skin blanket.

The girl giggled and jumped on the bed, shaking Lucy vigorously.

"Awuu, Wendyyyyyy," Lucy complained.

"Come on, Master Marakov wants to speak with you."

With a sigh, Lucy pulled herself up, blinking repeatedly in the morning light that filtered inside her tent. Wendy pulled her arm to force her to get out of bed, she was a notorious sleepyhead and no help was too much in her case. After a few minutes, they both emerged from the tent, while Lucy adjusted the belt of her otherwise unremarkable two-piece brahmin leather outfit. Three keys jingled merrily on her right side, dangling from a chain attached to the belt.

They hadn't taken three steps when the ground started to shake. Two more and there was a loud crash, followed by a few screams.

"Spore plant!"

"Take cover!"

Neither Lucy nor Wendy slowed their walk down. The next yell was as expected as it was reassuring, and both looked at each other and smiled while the male voice claimed ownership of the giant mutated plant.

"It's miiiiiine!" the boy shouted. He had rose-tinted messy hair and wore a brahmin wastelander outfit with a curious white-scaled scarf. The most remarkable thing, however, were the flames that covered his fists. "Good morning!" he shouted as he blazed past Wendy and Lucy.

"Good morning, Natsu-san!" Wendy replied enthusiastically. "Natsu-san looks very lively today."

"Doesn't he always?" Lucy said, with another sleepy sigh.

The Giant Spore plant thumped the ground when it sensed Natsu approach, and turned its gigantic maw towards him. A moment later a barrage of spines flew out of its mouth, flying in the direction of the boy.

Without missing a step, Natsu pulled his right arm back, and the strength of the flames on his arm increased. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

He made a swipe with his fist, creating a torrent of flame that incinerated the spines in mid-air. The flames flew far enough that they fell on the spore plant, and it quickly caught fire. It flailed desperately around, trashing the ground and the vegetable garden in which it had appeared.

Natsu skidded to a stop, and took a deep breath in. "Fire... Dragon's... Roa-" A smack on the top of the head interrupted him. "Ouch! What the hell! What's the... e... E-E-Erza!"

Colour drained from his face when he looked at the woman who had smacked him. She had long, scarlet hair and brown eyes, of average height, and with curvaceous build. She was wearing a skirted bamboo armour with a crudely worked iron-head spear flung across her back. And the frown she was sporting had completely taken the fight out of Natsu.

"Did you realize what you were burning?"

"I-I-I did. I mean I didn't! I mean... Uh... What is the right answer?" ***Thunk*** "Ouch!"

From a distance, Lucy and Wendy looked at the scene with a measure of resignation.

"That's another cornfield burned," Lucy said. "He should leave those things to Gray. He-" Her voice died down as she felt a cold glare pierce through her chest. She turned to see a woman looking at her with a look that could curl brahmin milk. She had long wavy blue hair falling past her shoulders under a fur hat, dark blue eyes and a curvaceous figure. "J-Juvia! I didn't... You're misunderstanding again, I don't-"

"Juviaaaaaaaa!" Erza called from the distance, waving at the woman.

"I am watching you, my rival," Juvia said, before taking off towards Erza.

Lucy sighed and shook her head. "She still misunderstands everything..."

"Really?"

"Wha- Of course! You... Wendyyyyyy," she complained, looking at the grinning girl. Their conversation was interrupted by the calls warning of the approaching Juvia, and they turned to see the villagers running away from her. "You know, I feel a bit sorry for her."

Wendy's smile faded. "So do I. But it can't be helped, radioactive rain is dangerous." She looked at her open hands and sighed. "If only I could heal radiation sickness..."

Seconds later the rain started, thick but concentrating only on the crops that had caught fire. Erza was looking at the falling rain inside the old radiation suit she had just Requipped, and waiting with a shovel on her shoulder to move the radioactive soil aside. It was starting to become a disturbingly common sight, but rather than pointing fingers at anyone, the problem was that more and more mutated creatures were appearing in Arroyo.

"Let's go Wendy," Lucy called, and they resumed their walk to the Guild building.

They arrived to their destination while Juvia's rain was still falling on the field, while Erza dug the radioactive soil and piled it away. The old Guild was, for wasteland standards, a truly ancient building. It was a wonderful, welcoming home three stories hard, of rock and wood, with a splendid banner flying high to proudly display the crest of the guild. On closer examination one could find signs of wear and tear, countless repair jobs, and additions made just to keep the place standing. But there was too much love and care bestowed onto that building for it not to feel majestically welcoming.

Lucy and Wendy stepped through the main entrance and were greeted by the deafening sound of... Silence. The guild's main room opened in the center, occupying most of the building. There was a bar and a kitchen on one side, with rows of tables and benches taking most of the space. Next to the bar was a large notice board, where adverts for jobs got posted regularly – and it was looking depressingly empty at that time. The large room opened up with a balcony around it on the second level, where only the S-class mages had been traditionally allowed.

That particular rule had relaxed noticeably over the years, but the second floor still had the special notice board for the S-class and higher job adverts.

"It's really quiet today," Lucy said.

"It's always this quiet early in the morning, you just never get to see it," Wendy replied, wearing a mischievous grin.

"Aw, Wendyyyyy! Why- Ah, good morning Laki!" Lucy waved at a young woman standing in a corner of the guild's main room. She was of average height and build, had lavender hair held in a ponytail with bangs on the sides of her head, grey eyes hiding behind a pair of oval glasses. And she was standing in front of a pile of broken wooden rubble.

She waved back without much enthusiasm. With a sigh, she clasped her hands together in front of her, and concentrated. Magic power could be felt raising, and a moment later she pushed forward with both hands. "Wood make, restore!"

The broken pieces of wood were engulfed by a sea of light, and started rearranging themselves. Soon, the furniture that had been broken by the last night's ruckus and festivities started to reform itself from their remains.

"Poor Laki-san, she always has so much work to do," Wendy said.

"Yeah." Lucy looked around, and saw there was a second person sitting on one of the remaining tables. A woman, sitting with her elbows on the table in front of her and holding her head with both hands. She had long green hair pouring from under a cowboy-styled hat, but none of her other features could be made."Oh, good morning Bisca, you're up early too?" There was no answer. Bisca didn't even move a muscle. "I... Uh, what's wrong?"

Wendy and Lucy looked at each other, but before they could do anything, the voice of Master Marakov called from the second floor.

"Lucy, get up here," he said dryly. There was no anger in the voice, but it lacked its usual warmth.

"Y-Yes Master!"

She looked at Wendy, who gave her a reassuring smile, then at Bisca, who still hadn't moved a muscle, and rushed up the stairs. Even though she could have, she rarely if ever ventured up to the second floor.

_I'm just a weak Celestial Spirit Mage, that's not the place for me._

She caressed her three keys as she thought of that. She loved her Celestial Spirits very much, and it was herself whom she reproached for her weakness.

When she reached the top, Marakov was waiting for her with a serious face. He was a very short, balding old man, with a wrinkled face, slightly sunken cheeks, and a thick white moustache under his nose. He nodded at Lucy and turned, leading her towards one of the private rooms.

"Have a seat Lucy," he said, after closing the door. She sat herself on the worn-out carpet on the floor, and he did the same in front of her. "I heard Natsu has burned another Giant Spore plant today."

"Ah! No, no, no! I mean- well, yes, he did. But you know Natsu, he'll take a job and buy food to replace what he just burned, he always does!"

"I know," Marakov mollified her, raising his hand and gesturing her to stop. "But these attacks seem to be coming more often, don't they?"

"Y-Yes, I suppose..."

"And we have so very few jobs coming these days too."

Lucy looked at Marakov without saying another word. It seemed to her that the Master was carrying a heavy burden in his chest, one that he was reluctant to share.

"The signs are all there," he continued. "The world is dying. Lost crops, dying brahmin, mutated creatures... Those can be replaced or fought, but there's things that cannot be replaced."

"What is it Master?"

"Asuka has fallen ill. Porlyusica is attending to her, but... she may be dying."

"**ASUKA IS DYING?!**" Lucy shouted in surprise. A moment later she put her hands on her mouth, and her voice came through uncertain and strained. "Oh my goodness, poor Bisca! Her daughter... What is she..."

Marakov sighed. "Calm down Lucy."

"But..."

"This is all part of the signs. The war tore this world apart, life has struggled to be reborn, but... It may not happen." He looked up at Lucy, and his face broke into a smile. A strange, sad and mysterious smile. "But there is hope. A slim hope that few know of. The old legends speak of an ancient artifact, one that can bring life to the wasteland. One that only a Celestial Mage can use."

"Eh?"

"They call it the Garden of Eden Celestial Key... Or G.E.C.K. For short."

Lucy's face looked suddenly flat. "Ugh, what a silly short name." She immediately perked up. "Oh, but wait. A key? As in, a key that can summon a spirit?"

"Yes. You know of the Golden Keys of course."

"Yeah! They are supposed to be the keys of the twelve Zodiac Spirits. The most powerful spirits there are!"

"Twelve, huh?" Marakov smirked.

"Huh?"

"No, that's okay. The legends say that, during the war, the Technomages and the Mages both fought to bring the Celestial Spirits to their respective sides, that they held the _key_ to victory. But rather than letting themselves be used, the Zodiac Celestial Spirits sealed themselves, somewhere in this world. Behind heavy doors, inside underground vaults, that only the Golden Keys can open." He looked at Lucy, and saw she was paying rapt attention to him. He pointed at her. "This is a job only you can do, Lucy. A job that can change the world. And it's a hundred year job."

"EEEEEEEEEEH?!" Lucy yelled, and became petrified in a mix of terror and surprise.

"It's the only way the world can be saved." Marakov waited, but Lucy didn't move. "And Asuka, too."

The mention of the girl's name quickly broke the illusion. Lucy felt the determination inside her swelling and filling her with steely resolve. The Guild. Her Nakama.

_Asuka-chan!_

"I'll-"

She was interrupted when the door of their room slammed open. Bisca was standing on the threshold, breathing heavily. Lucy realized that her purple eyes were swollen and reddened, with streaks of tears still wet on her cheeks.

"Is that true?! There's a way to save Asuka?" she yelled, rushing into the room and looking at Marakov pleadingly.

"Bisca. Porlyusica is taking care of her, don't give up if-"

"IS IT TRUE?!"

Marakov sighed. "With the G.E.C.K., it's very likely. But it's a very dangerous task, if-"

"Lucy!" Bisca turned to Lucy with tears in her eyes. She dropped to her knees, and grabbed Lucy's hands. "Please! I'll go with you! No matter what, I'll help you! Please... Please... Will you...?"

"Bisca..." Lucy freed her hands, reached forward, and embraced Bisca in a tight hug. "Of course I will, it goes without saying!"

Marakov look at the two young women with a smile on his face, and after letting them get themselves together, clapped his hands loudly. "Okay then, this is perfect." He pointed at Lucy dramatically. "Your job is to retrieve all the Golden Keys, use them open Eclipse, the gate that can change the world, and with it, retrieve the G.E.C.K.-"

"Masteeeer, stop calling it G.E.C.K."

"-from the Celestial Realm," Marakov finished.

"Okay!" Lucy said.

"Leave it to us!" Bisca added.

They were about to bolt out of the room when Marakov reached out with his arm, stretching it to reach the door and slam it shut.

"But before that, there's something you must do." He grinned. "Both of you. If you cannot do this, there's no hope of you ever completing the job."

"Eh?" Lucy said. She looked at Bisca, but the green-haired woman didn't seem to have a clue either. "What do I have to do?"

Marakov paused dramatically before adding: "You must pass the S-class Mage Promotion Trial."

...

"EEEEEEEEEEEK!"

* * *

_The fate of the world rests in Lucy's hands, and the love of a mother for her daughter! But first, they must break into the world of S-class!_


End file.
